The Great Wage Stagnation
From Optimist Economy by Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi
April 21, 2026 · 47 min · Season 2 · Episode 13
About this episode
This episode discusses the stagnation of U.S. wages since the 1980s and explores various economic theories behind it, including the concept of monopsony.
Average U.S. wages have barely budged since the early '80s — and if you account for today's labor force being older and more college-educated, wage growth basically disappears. Economists have cycled through explanations: workers lacked technical skills, then couldn't compete with global labor, then lost the policies that once lifted paychecks, like strong unions and a meaningful minimum wage. The latest chapter is monopsony — the idea that as employers consolidate, people have fewer choices of where to work, and fewer places to land if they lose a job. Fix the market, and the paychecks follow. Chapters : 00:00:45 Announcements 00:01:01 Retcon: Double Taxation and Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act 00:03:10 Terms & Conditions: Monopsony, Septel 00:07:07 Big Pilcrow: Why Aren’t Wages Growing? 00:40:37 Executive Orders: Reverse Billing, Leaked Chat Table Readings 00:42:49 Spiritual Sponsors: Dole Whip, Sad Songs, Being Recognized in the Wild Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Follow us on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy . Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Andy says look at the Optimist Economy YouTube…
People in this episode
Hosts: Kathryn Anne Edwards, Robin Rauzi
Topics covered
- wage stagnation
- monopsony
- labor market
- economic policy
- wage growth
Keywords
- wages
- labor force
- economic anxieties
- minimum wage
- unions
- monopsony
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Optimist Economy, Sad Songs, Optimist Economy YouTube channel, ambientinks.com
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